How Harsh Are Colorado's DUI Penalties?: The 20 Toughest States

Update: After the original publication of a post highlighting the twenty harshest states when it comes to DUI penalties, we were contacted by attorney Seth Steinman, who says a number of items pertaining to Colorado were misstated by WalletHub, the source for the data. We've made the corrections per Steinman's updated information. Continue for the complete report.

Original post, 6:40 a.m. August 15: George Brauchler, DA for the 18th Judicial District, is frustrated that Doyle Carmack got no jail time for his sixth DUI conviction — an outcome he associates with a 2015 felony DUI law that has no mandatory-minimum provision and is, in his view, inconsistent "with the other sentencing portions of our DUI laws."

This last assertion seems to be contradicted by Colorado's performance in a new study from WalletHub that's intended to determine the "strictest and most lenient states on DUI." But taking a closer look at the numbers offers support for Brauchler's claim.

Although Colorado is included among the twenty states with the toughest laws related to driving under the influence, WalletHub accurately lists a minimum jail time for first and second DUI convictions of five and ten days, respectively. Yet Carmack, who notched five DUI convictions in Missouri and had a blood-alcohol content of .235 when he was pulled over in Aurora this past March, won't serve a minute behind bars; his sentence calls for five years' worth of probation and 75 hours of community service.

Continue to get the photo-illustrated details of the twenty states with the harshest DUI regulations according to WalletHub, followed by an interactive graphic allowing you to check out the rankings for all fifty states, plus an additional infographic. Click for the original post.